The Multinational Kingdom in Isaiah

A Study of the Eschatological Kingdom and the Nature of Its Consummation

Andrew H. Kim

• Publisher: Wipf and Stock
• Year: 2020
• Print ISBN: 9781725270923, 9781725270930
• eBook ISBN: 9781725270947
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Systematic Theology & Ethics

The kingdom of God functions as a key theme that clarifies the direction of redemptive history. The canonical narrative portrays God's dealing with humanity on both individual and corporate levels. Throughout the history of the church, many have claimed that national Israel is best read as a type of an eschatological consummation of individuals drawn from all nations. However, does the direction of redemptive history consummate with a redemption of individuals or does it include national entities? Do the promises to national Israel become fulfilled typologically through a singular corporate reality or in a multinational kingdom,which includes national Israel? InThe Multinational Kingdom in Isaiah, Andrew H. Kim addresses arguments from those who claim that Isaiah serves as a turning point in which national distinctions are erased in the eschatological kingdom. Kim argues that Isaiah envisions a multinational kingdom comprised of Israelites and gentiles with national and territorial distinctions.

1

Defining a Nation

Anthropological Perspective

Before arguing for a multinational eschatological kingdom, a definition of a nation must be established. The purpose of this chapter is to present a definition as discussed among anthropologists.1 Anthony Smith comments on the difficulty with arriving to a consensus for a definition:

The study of nations and nationalism cannot be confined to a single disciplinary perspective. Historians long dominated the field, but latterly they have been joined by anthropologists, political scientists, sociologists, social psychologists, students of linguistics, international relations scholars, geographers, philosophers, regional economists, international lawyers, and many others.2

In their respective works, Anthony Smith, Louis Snyder, and Karl Deutsch offer different defining characteristics of a nation.3 They propose that a nation includes a common language, territory, government, economic life and psychological makeup.4

Anthony Smith argues that there is a process by which an ethnic group becomes a nation: (1) a group of people distinguish themselves from outsiders; (2) this group cultivates various shared memories, symbols, values, and traditions; (3) this group begins to reside and attach themselves to a certain territory and see it as their historic homeland; (4) this group creates a distinct public culture of rites and ceremonies, symbolic codes, and education for that community; and (5) this group observes standardized and uniform laws throughout a community.5 According to Smith’s outline, several elements develop over time within an ethnic group that changes its status to a nation: traditions, ceremonies, laws, education, and a historic homeland.

There are several anthropologists who criticize Smith’s proposed outline because he does not differentiate between a nation from a nation-state. Walker Connor observes that Smith confuses nationhood with a state because elements of a state are included in his definition of a nation.6 Connor instead defines a nation as “the largest group that can command a person’s loyalty because of felt kinship ties; it is, from this perspective, the fully extended family.”7 Daniele Conversi asserts that a distinction between a nation and nation-state must be carefully delineated because the inclusion of rights for citizens can only be granted by a state.8 Conversi adds that Smith’s definition of a nation includes ethno-symbolism, which confuses the distinction between a nation-state and a nation.9 Ernest Gellner comments that nationalism, as a principle, holds the political and the national unit as congruent.10 Although a nation and state were intended for each other, there remains a difference between the two. John Stone adds that if nationalism is seen as a socially constructed belief system, then a “nation” can be invented in the same manners as one could invent a “race.”11 Clearly, there remains a discussion about which factors distinguish a nation from a nation-state. However, there is a characteristic that all anthropologists agree that a nation must possess, namely a historic homeland.

Historic Homeland

Anthony Smith writes, “Nations are, by definition, territorialized communities, that is, communities the majority of whose members have come to reside in an historic territory or homeland and to feel a strong attachment to it.”12 Nations associate with a specific homeland even though the boundaries may change over time. They are bounded with mobility throughout that territory and view it as theirs.13 While Anthony Giddens regards nationalism as primarily a political movement associated with the nation-state, he recognizes that a homeland is tied to “a myth of origin,” which holds the ideals of a nation.14 Frederick Hertz claims that in order for a nation to exist, there must be a belief in the existence of a specific territory as “belonging to” only that people.15

In the last twenty-five years, the majority of anthropologists concluded that nationality was exclusively a modern phenomenon.16 Although nationality is a recent conception, OT scholars have noted that a historic homeland was a defining trait for nations in premodern times. According to Thorkild Jacobson, Israel’s national identity was tied primarily to their territory with less consideration for the ethnic affiliation or origin of the individuals belonging to the nation.17 Steven Grosby comments on the significance of land as it pertains to Israel’s national identity. He writes, “The existence of the nation, whether ancient Israel or the modern nation-state, is predicated upon the existence of a collective consciousness constituted by a belief that there exists a ter...

Table of contents

• title page
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Abbreviations
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: Defining a Nation
• Chapter 2: Defining a Nation
• Chapter 3: Foundation for a Multinational Kingdom
• Chapter 4: Nations in OT
• Chapter 5: Isaiah’s Eschatological Kingdom
• Chapter 6: Isaiah’s Multinational Eschatological Kingdom
• Chapter 7: Conclusion
• Bibliography